ISRAEL (PART 3) - Top 10's • Things To Do
The twins did a lot of activities on the trip, and one of the best was a pijama party with their cousins at my sister's house. My sister is the funnest person in the world, and she took the pijama party to another level, as she built tents in her living room for all of the kids to sleep and feel as if they were on a camping trip. Part of the whole idea of coming to Israel for a whole month is for my kids to bond with their cousins and aunt, and that is exactly what they did.
An early morning, as I was leaving the house to work out with my dad at the beach, Alejandro suddenly woke up, and since my dad has a running stroller I decided to take him with us in his pijamas. At the beginning he didn't understand what we were doing, but after a while he really got to enjoy the stroll. When we finished the workout we got in the ocean in our running clothes, and Alejandro in his pijamas, he was in shock that I let him in the water without his bathing suit.
One of the most typical places in Tel Aviv is the Shuk Hacarmel, which is like a flee market, so we had to go. It was a little hectic with the strollers and the heat, but we enjoyed it greatly and bought very typical things from Israel like fruits, juices, spices, etc.
The sun sets in Tel Aviv, so watching it is a must. One night we went to the beach at sunset and stayed for dinner and drinks, at a beach bar. That night was very special as it was a full moon, so we got to see the sun set and the moon rise while the kids were having a blast playing in the sand.
In Israel it's very common to travel from one city to another by train, and my kids love trains, so we decided take one and visit one of the most beautiful cities in Israel, Haifa. The kids were super excited to travel on a train for the first time. We ended up going to the beach in Haifa, which is so beautiful, the water was crystal clear and the sand was so white and clean, it reminded me a little bit of the Caribbean. I never knew there were so many beautiful beaches in Israel.
It's bittersweet to end this amazing trip, I hope to be back soon and to be able to teach my kids more about the Israeli culture. I would love to continue showing my kids all the beautiful places that Israel has to offer, filled with history and high-tech.
We'll Miss...
- The contrast between old cities filled with history and the new modern cities filled with beautiful high rises.
- The love Israelis have for their country, that with great pride and courage they attend the army at 18 years of age to fight and protect Israel.
- The impressive things they have accomplished with a land that is basically a desert.
- How they value families and kids, to the point that the whole country is build to accommodate kids needs.
- How people live their life's, full of energy, always going out. It doesn't matter the day of the week, restaurants are always full and the streets are filled with people.
- Even though the country is very small, smaller than Lake Michigan, there are so many amazing places to visit like beaches, deserts, mountains, holy and historic sights, etc... You can take advantage of this and drive across the entire country, from Eilat to Qiryat Shemona, in about 6 hours.
- Listening to my kids sing in Hebrew, the lyrics of Static Ben El.
- The many different cultures that come together in this country, you get to meet people from all over the world.
- Eating the best breads, dairy products, dates, fruits, vegetables, etc...The food in Israel is amazing!
- And what we will miss the most is being all day long with my family...
Restaurants
- Zepra: Asian fusion
- Taizu: Exploration of local street food from five Southeast Asian countries, India, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
- Cafe Noir: European food tradition
- Shawarma Beshadra: Typical Israeli casual fast food in Ramat Hasharon
- Giraffe: Pan-Asian cuisine with a Western and modern eclectic feel
- 206: Israeli cuisine
- Grinberg: A blend of Paris & New-York cuisine.
- Tapeo: Spanish tapas
- Mr. and Ms. Lee: Authentic Asian food
- Allora: Italian cuisine
Thing to do With Kids
- Sarona: This place is one of my favorite places in Tel Aviv. It has everything you need for an amazing day with your family. Shops, restaurants, parks, ice cream you name it and it is there.
- Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem: Famous for its collection of wildlife featured in the Bible, as well as its success in breeding endangered species.
- The beaches: Israel has beautiful beaches and it's an amazing way to entertain the kids. We went during the day and also at sunset.
- Parks: In Israel there is a park every two blocks, so it is very easy to do visit different parks all the time.
- Malls: In any other country going to a mall with kids is the worst plan in the world, but in Israel there are gymborees and entertainment for the kids in every single mall, it was a great way to have fun while staying away from the heat.
- Ride the train: My kids love the train, so they were so excited to ride the train in Israel, it is the perfect way to go from city to city.
- Luna Park: This amusement park is filled with rides for every age.
- Yad La-Shiryon: Located in Latrun, is Israel's official memorial site for fallen soldiers from the armored corps, as well as one of the most diverse tank museums in the world. My kids were in heaven, they were able to go on top of the tanks and play with them.
- Mini Israel: Also located in Latrun, close to the tank museum, this site contains miniature replicas of hundreds of buildings and landmarks in Israel.
- The Kotel: An ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a relatively small segment of a far longer ancient retaining wall, known also in its entirety as the "Western Wall". The wall was originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple, which resulted in the encasement of the natural, steep hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount.
- Park HaYarkon: The largest park in Tel Aviv. It has extensive lawns, sports facilities, botanical gardens, an aviary, a water park, two outdoor concert venues and lakes.
